Duck subs for pork in easy carnitas tacos recipe

Radish, onion and cilantro top duck carnitas tacos, with the meat crisped up in a skillet after slow and low roasting. (Joan Moravek/food styling) (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Musical chairs strikes the over-5 set with nostalgia. Ah, kindergarten. But for those in the musical-chairs cohort, it’s pure terror. Stumble along to some treacly tune; lunge for safety. It schools its students: Greed is good. Grab the first option. Resources are scarce, and shrinking.

Worse yet: duck duck goose. The slow-building dread of duck, duck, duck; the fast-paced panic of goose. This game sharpens the message: Hunt or be hunted.

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More book-corner regular than playground powerhouse, I preferred snack. Like duck roasted tender, sizzled crisp and heaped onto soft tortillas. It’s a game without losers, a lesson in bounty.

2. Portion: Pull out duck legs. When cool, discard the odd and possibly curdled contents of the pan. Pull off those crisp skins. Break up meat into bite-size chunks (this should be easy work). Discard bones and any lumps of fat.

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3. Crisp: Set a medium skillet over medium heat. Lay in skins, crisp side up, and sizzle 1-2 minutes, to crisp the underside and render any clinging fat. Shift skins to a cutting board and slice to slivers (like bacon, only better). Slide the meat chunks into the pan and brown, 1-2 minutes. Heap duck on a platter, and scatter on shards.

4. Serve: Add the radishes, onion and cilantro to the platter. Heat tortillas (wrap in a clean, damp kitchen cloth and zap 2 minutes) to serve alongside, with the salsa. Enjoy.